North Dakota

Interior reasserts North Dakota’s claim to invaluable riverbed

Published

1 month ago

March 17, 2026

Interior reasserts North Dakota’s claim to invaluable riverbed

Control of a resource-rich North Dakota riverbed has once again slipped from tribal hands and gone to the state, in the latest turnaround of an Interior Department legal posture that changes with the political seasons.

Capping a yearlong review, Interior Solicitor William Doffermyre reversed the Biden administration’s ruling that the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation owned the bed of the Missouri River where it flows through their reservation.

“I conclude the better interpretation of applicable law is that the original Riverbed, and its underlying minerals where the Missouri River flows through the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, passed to the State upon its admission to the Union,” Doffermyre stated in a brief opinion dated March 12.

The riverbed in question is beneath Lake Sakakawea, which was created in the 1950s when the Missouri River was held back by construction of the Garrison Dam. The lake is located within the 980,000-acre Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in west-central North Dakota.

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North Dakota

SBHE to Review Ray Richards Alterations

Published

7 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

(KNOX) – The North Dakota Board of Higher Education is being asked to weigh in on the reconstruction of Ray Richard’s Golf Course in Grand Forks. The upgrades and deferred maintenance improvements are the result of the pending DeMers Avenue/42nd Street Underpass project.

UND sold 6.5 acres of the nine hole course to the North Dakota Department of Transportation for the grade separation. During the road construction the golf course will be realigned and reduced to a par 34 course. UND will also address underground utilities and irrigation systems. The total cost is around 4.5 million dollars.

The course will close for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. The goal is to reopen in 2028. SBHE is expected to approve the design at its April 30th meeting.

Crews are expected to begin preliminary work on the $90 million dollar underpass project this week. The initial phase will have minimal impacts to traffic on both 42nd Street and DeMers Avenue. Larger impacts are expected later this summer.

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North Dakota

Windy conditions fuel shop fire in rural Mapleton

Published

20 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Windy conditions fuel shop fire in rural Mapleton

MAPLETON, N.D. (Valley News Live) – Casselton Fire responded to a shop fire in rural Mapleton on Saturday afternoon, according to Casselton Fire Chief John Hejl.

Casselton Fire was dispatched to the scene at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. Windy conditions escalated the fire before crews arrived, Hejl said.

Windy conditions fuel shop fire in rural Mapleton(Casselton Fire Department)

Firefighters used defensive and offensive lines to control the fire upon arrival.

Casselton Fire was assisted by Cass County Sheriff’s Office, Casselton Ambulance, West Fargo Police Department, Davenport Fire and Mapleton Fire.

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North Dakota

Finley, North Dakota without water after watermain leak.

Published

1 day ago

April 19, 2026

Press Room

Finley, North Dakota without water after watermain leak.

A do not use water advisory issued by the City of Finley, North Dakota. April 2026.

FINLEY, N.D. (KFGO) – The city of Finley, North Dakota has been without potable water since Friday due to a suspected water main leak. Steele County Emergency Management says it is unclear how long it will take to restore water services in the city.

The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality says the available water in Finley has been deemed unusable for drinking, cooking, bathing and washing dishes or laundry.

The water system will need to be flushed and samples that say the water is safe will need to be collected for the water advisory to be lifted.

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